


A Secret Between Two

by hiriki



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, Secret Relationship, fluffy fluffy woo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-08
Updated: 2013-11-08
Packaged: 2017-12-31 21:04:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1036386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hiriki/pseuds/hiriki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post episode 4. There was a silent agreement between Haruka and Rin that they’d meet every day without others knowing; feelings can be troublesome to explain, after all. (originally posted on tumblr)</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Secret Between Two

**Author's Note:**

> I can’t remember how I came across this idea but I’ve been itching to write RinHaru, so I’m glad I finally did it! ヾ(*´∇`)ﾉ These two are too much for me. They seem like great angst material, but I have this urge to write fluffy… things… all the time… ahskdjk I hope you guys enjoy!

_Class is over. Are you coming?_

The words were typed quickly; Nagisa’s loud voice sounded distant as Haruka stared at the small, bright screen in front of him, waiting for an answer shortly after sending his message. Someone’s hand touched his shoulder gently, and it was still not enough to get Haruka’s attention.

“Is everything okay?”

As usual, Makoto’s calm voice was barely audible when combined to the loud background conversation between Nagisa and Rei, but he was close enough to startle Haruka. For some reason, the cellphone was now hidden under Haruka’s uniform sleeve; Makoto’s kind eyes pretended not to notice it, and he just stared at his friend, waiting for an answer.

“I’m fine.”

“Oh, good.” His hand abandoned Haruka’s shoulder, but he was still smiling. “You rarely use your cellphone, so I wondered if something happened at your house.”

“My family is okay. Don’t worry.”

As Haruka spoke, the cellphone under his sleeve vibrated for a few seconds; there was a message waiting for him.

 

Luckily enough – maybe a bit too much -, Nagisa, just in time, called for Makoto from the other corner of the room in a needy voice; Makoto glanced quickly at Haruka for a moment, smiling enough to let Haruka know that maybe, just maybe, he _knew_.

Before Haruka could wonder any longer, his childhood friend was already gone. Almost furtively, Haruka retrieved his cellphone from its hiding spot; the answer to his message was short, and it was exactly what he wanted to read.

_Yup._

“I’m going home first.” The words came out from Haruka’s mouth a little too rushed.

“Ehh? You’re not waiting for us _again_?!” Nagisa’s voice suggested he had just been betrayed.

“I’m sorry.”

“But- it’s the third time already in a week! What are you hiding from us?”

Haruka’s hand squeezed his cellphone; the anxiety didn’t show up on his face.

“I don’t think he’s hiding anything, Nagisa.” Makoto patted the shorter boy on the shoulder, his usual carefree smile acting as a silent support for Haruka. “We see him every day anyway, you don’t need to be so upset.”

“But- but!”

Just for a few seconds, Haruka stared at Makoto; green eyes stared back at him, and there was no suspicion, but Makoto _knew_. It wasn’t like Haruka was trying to hide it anyway – at least not from Makoto. Hiding things from him was hard and pointless, so Haruka didn’t bother to try. Maybe he did, in the beginning, but it was useless anyway. Perhaps it was some weird childhood friend superpower.

“See you guys tomorrow.”

When he was about to exit the room, his anxiety betrayed him and Haruka stepped on his own shoelaces. Hopefully, it’d go unnoticed.

He didn’t see the three boys staring at him with raised eyebrows.

-

Something inside Rin jumped awkwardly when he saw Haruka coming closer. For some reason, the other students at the school gate looked dumber than usual, and Rin felt a weird urge to punch some of them aside.

“You sure took your time, huh.”

Haruka didn’t seem intimidated by the cold tone of his voice. Good.

“Nagisa thought I was hiding something.” Rin watched as Haruka’s eyes quickly scanned the area around them, maybe looking for familiar faces amongst the students leaving school. “We should get going.”

“Yeah.”

They walked for less than two meters when Haruka stopped abruptly by Rin’s side.

“What now?” He was glaring at Haruka, but Haruka was simply staring back. Calmly. Peacefully.

And definitely a bit too lovingly.

“Since we’re here, don’t you want to talk to Gou?”

“Huh?” Rin gasped at him. “I came here for you! If we go after Gou, those stupid guys will know I’m here! _With you!_ ” He emphasized the last two words with a finger pointing at Haruka.

“She misses you.” He paused, staring at their feet. Rin’s shadow was a bit longer than his own. “You should see her more frequently.”

Rin rolled his eyes.

“Tch. I’m not going to stay here talking about my sister with you.” He started to walk again; Haruka quickly followed him. “Differently from _you_ , she can see me whenever she wants to. “

Silent fell between them. For a few minutes, Haruka was just following Rin, trying to fit into his shadow; the other boy suddenly got annoyed and snapped at him, saying he wanted Haruka to walk by his side.

Haruka didn’t say anything, but that small remark was enough to put a little bit of happiness inside him.

“Wanna eat ice cream?” Haruka pointed at a vending machine nearby. The school grounds were long left behind, and now they were walking in a quiet alleyway bathed in sunset light.

Rin snorted at the vending machine.

“I bet you eat that thing with Makoto every day.”

“Not every day.”

Rin shrugged, but his eyebrows were furrowed. He went back to his walking, and Haruka quickly caught up to him.

A funny idea made its way into Haruka’s mind; he felt like asking Rin if he was jealous. At the same time, he didn’t want to – regardless of Rin feeling jealous or not, he’d never let Haruka know clearly, no matter how blunt he could be. It was one of the many parts of Rin that, to Haruka, resembled the water: honest but quick to escape, cold but comfortable. Easy to get and that much more easier to lost.

There was nothing Haruka could love more.

They walked more, side by side, shrouded in silence. Sometimes, Haruka’s shoulder would bump into Rin’s, but neither of them said anything. It has been like that for a while now – they’d meet in secret, the kind of thing that raised all kind of dirty suspicions once it was known, and all they did was walk together, away from places others could find them.  Neither of them could tell for sure when it started; maybe it started when Haruka confessed he missed Rin. Maybe it was when Haruka noticed Rin was staring differently at him after all these years.  Maybe it was born as a silent agreement between them shortly after their first kiss.

“Have you been training?”

Rin’s voice cut through the silence in a comfortable note. His tone was demanding but also worried, and when Haruka glanced at him, he found a pair of anxious eyes studying him.

“We’re all training. Gou is helping us a lot.”

“Good.” Rin sighed. “You didn’t ask, but I’m training too.”

“Don’t overdo it.” Haruka paused. “You don’t need to. The water loves you.”

“Yeah, sure. You’re as weird as ever.”

Haruka watched Rin silently, waiting for his gaze to land back at him at some point, but Rin kept looking straight ahead. The streets were turning darker, and they only noticed it when the lamp posts illuminated the area around them; the halo of light made Rin look almost as something straight out of a painting, beautiful and ethereal.

“It’s getting late. I’ll walk you back home.” Rin turned on his feet, abandoning the halo of light around them. His silhouette was now shrouded in darkness, and Haruka knew they’d have to part ways soon; Rin would walk him home and then return to his dormitory alone.

Sneaky fingers found their way into Rin’s sweater shirt, and he was about to ask what the hell Haruka wanted when soft lips collided against his, slowly and hesitantly, like he was asking for permission.

It was always a weird experience for Rin whenever they kissed; he was not used to it, and Haruka was surprisingly eager and honest about his urges, which could be embarrassing. But the street was empty, and Haruka’s lips felt a bit too comfortable – there was no way he would _not_ want that.

“Your teeth always feel funny” Haruka commented shortly after they stopped. The blood rushed even more furiously to Rin’s face; luckily enough, it was too dark to notice.

“Wha- you’re the one who _always_ kisses me out of the blue!  Don’t complain about that!”

“I wasn’t complaining.”

“Then shut up.” Rin clicked his tongue. “And stay close. It’s too dark and we need to get you back home quickly.”

“Are you coming to pick me up again tomorrow?”

“Sure- nah, wait, tomorrow is Saturday.”

The realization made Haruka bit his lower lip in a small demonstration of frustration, but Rin didn’t see it; he was too busy staring at his own feet as he suggested in the most casual tone he could voice:

“We can go somewhere. If you want.” He furrowed his brows a bit more. “Wait, no. You need to train-“

“I want to go somewhere.” Haruka rushed in response, interrupting him.

“No! I want you to train properly.”

“But you’re the one who suggested it. Now I want to go somewhere.”

“You’re just being ridiculous now! Anyway, don’t you like swimming? You can swim and train _a lot_ tomorrow.”

There was a glimpse of defiance in Haruka’s eyes when he glanced at Rin.

“Then we could train together.”

“Huh? I’m not going to train with those guys.” He paused, and Haruka was already considering his proposal denied, when Rin added: “Just you and me. I can get you to join our training at school.” Shortly after saying these words, he pouted. “Oh, whatever. I bet I’m going to regret it.”

But Haruka wasn’t listening anymore.

“Just you and me” He repeated, eyes never breaking contact with Rin’s. “Sounds good to me.”

“…Same here.”


End file.
